The School of Communication

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News & Events

SOC Welcomed Alumna Kristen Hunter as Fall 2014 Commencement Speaker

From television news to police work, this past fall's
commencement speaker's career illustrates the wide variety of positions
available to communication graduates.

An East Carolina University alum, Kristen Hunter
has lived and worked in Greenville for approximately eight years. She graduated with honors from the School of
Communication in 2010 and has worked in the communications field ever since. Currently, Hunter serves as the Public
Information Officer for the Greenville, NC Police Department – a position she
has held since December of 2013.She
received the opportunity to move in front of the camera in 2011, when she was
hired to work as a reporter and anchor for WNCT-TV in Greenville, NC.
During her time at WNCT, Hunter covered a wide variety of issues ranging from
an active shooter situation to ongoing cancer drug shortages within local
hospitals. Some of her most memorable
experiences include reporting from the frontlines of several major hurricanes
along the eastern North Carolina coast. Hunter's
work has earned her four Associated Press awards.

Whether she's on camera or coordinating coverage
for the Greenville Police Department, Hunter will always have a place in her
heart for ECU. "Many people refer to
East Carolina University as 'Pirate Nation'." That title couldn't be more appropriate. Long after exams are over and the scoreboard
at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium fades, the pride you have in your university will
remain," Hunter said.

According to Hunter, the communication field is
fast paced and cut-throat at times, but
she points out, there are always opportunities for those who have a true
passion for their work and a will to succeed. While Hunter has often been on camera both as
a television news anchor and in her current position, she has found that her
interaction with people in the community is the most rewarding. "The smallest things are often the most
rewarding -- sharing a hug with the mother of a murder victim after you
announce detectives have solved the case or a note from an 8-year-old
describing the tour you gave them as the 'greatest day of their life'. Knowing you have impacted one person's life
for the better, no matter how small, makes everything worth it," Hunter
emphasized.

The National Communication Association (NCA) Health Communication Division’s Awards Committees has chosen ECU School of Communication Director Linda Kean as the recipient of the 2014 “NCA Health Communication Division’s Outstanding Scholar Award.” This award is one of the highest academic honors among the distinguished members of this organization.

Dr. Kean’s research focuses on health communication with an emphasis on the mass media. One facet of her research is designing and evaluating mass media campaigns that promote the adoption of positive health behaviors. Dr. Kean is also interested in how advertising and entertainment media messages influence individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors regarding health topics. Her work has been published in a variety of academic journals including, Communication Research, Health Communication, Media Psychology, Journal of Health Communication and Women & Language.

The National Communication Association is an internationally recognized communication scholarship organization with thousands of members across every state. This year, the NCA will celebrate its founding in 1914 with a Centennial celebration. Dr. Kean will accept the award in Chicago in late November at the NCA’s annual meeting.

London Study Abroad Recap of Summer 2014

During summer 2014, Dr. Cindy Elmore and Ms. Barbara Bullington led a successful study abroad program to London. The focus of the program was International News and allowed 20 students to gain access to the BBC, The Guardian, Bloomberg, NPR, and Amnesty International. In addition to exploring multiple avenues of international news resources, the students had the opportunity to experience a new and diverse cultures.

Jordan Mitchell, a Communication major and Film Studies minor here at East Carolina University, created a video as part of an Independent Study documenting the London study abroad experience.

Details on 2015 Study Abroad program in Poland and Czech Republic

Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity to travel and experience other cultures while earning credit. In summer 2015, the School of Communication will take students to Poland and the Czech Republic for Communicating Across Borders: Intercultural Communication and English as a Global Language.

Students will learn about intercultural communication and English as a global language in three historic Central European cities. Students will spend five days in Krosno at Krosno State College, five days in Krakow at Jagellonian University, and one week in Prague at AngloAmerican University. Students will study with ECU Communication and English faculty, in addition to meeting and learning from Polish and Czech faculty and students. The program will occur during Summer Session 1, running from May 12-14 (ECU campus) to May 17-June 4 (Poland and Czech Republic).

If you would like more information, contact Dr. Linda Kean at keanl@ecu.edu .

Alumnus who travels the globe for reality TV returns to School of Communication to address spring graduates at recognition ceremony

By Kent Pittman

Growing up, Jordan J. Mallari was the kid behind the camera. Now he's the man calling the shots in the world of television as the vice president of development at Stage 3 Productions in Philadelphia.

Mallari has produced more than 17 shows including "The Apprentice," "BBQ Pittmasters" and "Duel Survivor." Such productions take him to some interesting places.

"One amazing thing is, I get to step into worlds I would never be a part of," he said.

One world Mallari hasn't been a part of since his graduation in 2000 is ECU. But he returned this past Spring to address School of Communication graduates 2014 Spring Graduate Recognition Ceremony.

Growing up, Mallari's father owned one of the first home video cameras and young Jordan showed an interest in video early on. Fast-forward to present day and Mallari's interest hasn't waned. Now he's behind the scenes bringing inside stories to millions.

Sports fanatic and School of Communication student, Madison Briner, initially had a stressful and frustrating experience getting an internship for Fall 2013 until she came across an open position with the Charlotte Bobcats.

"I remember last summer I spent hours and hours applying to internships across the country," Briner said. "I went on multiple interviews, but no offers. It was incredibly frustrating."

Briner's perseverance and self-awareness eventually paid off when she became the Event Presentation intern for the Charlotte Bobcats. She applied for the internship after reasoning that the position fit her active and social personality.

"Each day there was something new and exciting to experience," Briner said. "You can market and plan all you want, but what happens in the game is uncontrollable and unplanned, which I think is exciting."

Not only did Briner leave her internship with invaluable hands-on experience, but she also left with advice from the senior vice president. Briner said she was blown away by his knowledge and willingness to help the interns.

"It was a lot of work, I met a lot of people, and I enjoyed every second of it," she said. "I worked hard to get the internship, and I worked hard while I was there. It is important to dream big, but you have to do the little things to get there."

School of Communication presents 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award

Public relations entrepreneur and ECU alumna Jamie Lynn Sigler received the School of Communication 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award at the school's eighth annual CommCrew Spring Reception April 5.

Sigler graduated from ECU in 2001 with a degree in communication and a concentration in public relations. She founded bi-coastal public relations agency J Public Relations Inc. in 2005. In 2008, she partnered with best friend and fellow Pirate alumna Sarah Evans to grow JPR in additional key markets. The firm has offices in San Diego and New York.

Sigler said she is "extremely honored" to have the opportunity to return to Greenville to accept this year's award and that ECU is really where her professional journey began.

"When I look back on my career path and the road I took to grow J Public Relations to where we are today, my time at East Carolina University was the foundation that played a pivotal part in inspiring me to create something within the communications field that was innovative, helped develop new leaders within my field and challenged the PR industry to start utilizing methods against the status quo," Sigler said.

This was not Sigler's first award. San Diego Business Journal acknowledged Sigler as one of the city's "Most admired CEO's." She was also awarded PRSA's Eva Irving Community Service Award in 2013 for her outstanding commitment to bettering the PR field and her community.

JPR has also earned a number of accreditations. The firm was ranked in the top five agencies in the country on UWire's list of Top PR Firms on Social Media, number 1,534 on Inc. Magazine's 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America list, and ranked number 12 on Inc. Magazine's fastest growing Travel and Hospitality Companies in the U.S.

The Spring Reception was at the Greenville Museum of Art and featured guest speaker and alumnus Bill Johnson. Johnson is the executive vice president of Sports Trust Advisors and has more than 20 years of experience in the business of sports

New Graduate Certificate Program in Health Communication

Beginning Summer 2014, the School of Communication will offer a Graduate Certificate in Health Communication. The program is open to students currently enrolled in any graduate degree program, as well as to non-degree applicants with a bachelor's degree.

The program requires 12 semester hours of health communication course work. The courses in the certificate program examine research, theory and practices of communication.

"Students earning the graduate certificate in health communication will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze, evaluate and apply effective communication in health contexts," according to Laura Prividera, associate director of the School of Communication and director of the school's graduate studies.

Students currently enrolled in the School of Communication MA program with an emphasis in health communication are not eligible to earn the certificate.

Multimedia newsroom gives students opportunity for hands-on experience in a state-of-the-art classroom

Senior Alex Gajewski knows what he wants to do after graduation. The aspiring sports broadcaster has held internships with ESPN radio, TV stations in Greenville and Charlotte, NASCAR Productions and a professional soccer team.

Equally valuable, however, is the experience he gets weekly on campus at East Carolina University.

"The ECU multimedia newsroom is phenomenal," Gajewski said in an interview this fall. "I can't say enough about it. I started getting hands on with the ECU newsroom my junior year and it has helped me tremendously. It really captures what it's like to work in TV journalism."

The facility — which includes new computers, three studio cameras, a TriCaster, an audio board, an anchor desk and a green screen — gets students "pretty close" to a real newsroom experience. To learn more, please see this ECU News Bureau feature article.